History

In 1815, Louis Petitmaître established the first private bank in Neuchâtel. He was succeeded by his son Louis in 1872. Twenty-three years later, in 1895, Louis’ cashier joined forces with Paul Bonhôte to open Banque Antenen Bonhôte & Cie, which became Banque Bonhôte & Cie in 1903.

In 1936, Claude Bonhôte succeeded his father, taking the helm at the Bank until 1988, when he sold it to a local financial and industrial holding company.

In 1992, Jean Berthoud and a group of partners bought out the Bank, returning it to private hands. Jean Berthoud, whose own banking heritage dates back to 1785, was CEO of the Bank before his appointment as Chairman of the Board.

In 2014, Yves de Montmollin took over the management of the Bank. The executive team consists of Yves de Montmollin, CEO, Jean-Paul Jeckelmann, Olivier Vollenweider and Robin Richard. Nicolas von May is the Secretary General.

This slogan was the common theme for the various events organised to mark the 200th anniversary of our establishment in 2015.

These activities were revealed in a unique six-part Gazette published on the occasion of our bicentenary. Through its pages, you will discover the history of our Bank in six instalments as well as special reports related to our anniversary. We also take a peek at the future to see what the private bank of tomorrow might look like.